1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to converting documents from paper to electronic form, and more particularly, to a method for automatic conversion of a paper document to an electronic document and delivery of the electronic document to a desired destination.
2. Description of Background Art
People often wish to send copies of paper documents to a remote destination. These people sending copies of paper documents to remote destinations are “sending users.” However, conventional methods for performing this task are unsatisfactory.
In conventional methods for scanning and sending the document over the Internet, the sending user must manually enter many commands. The sending user first enters commands to scan the paper document. If the paper document has more than one page, the sending user then enters commands to combine the scanned pages into a single electronic document. The sending user then enters commands to send the electronic document to the destination. This requires the sending user to perform multiple steps, which is time consuming and inefficient.
Faxing is another conventional method for sending copies of paper documents to a remote destination. Faxing, too, has drawbacks. If the sending user faxes the document, the receiver must have the capability to receive faxes. Fax machines provide poor image quality. Also, the fax cannot be sent if the receiving fax machine is busy.
A third conventional method for sending copies of paper documents to a remote destination is to physically send a paper copy of the document. This can be done by overnight mail or a courier, for example. However, physically sending a paper copy of the document is expensive and takes more time than electronic delivery.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and system that allows a sending user to quickly and easily convert paper documents to electronic documents and send the electronic documents to a destination.